I KNOW that so many of you have replied and I am also replying a bit late, and it is probably pointless to reply..but I am going to do it anyway! I have SO much to say about this and I am SO angry right now, I don't know where to start =*( I wish I had a quarter for everytime I was told by someone in the medical "Profession" (I use the term profession loosely) that adhesions DO NOT hurt, if I did, I would have enough money to buy a car!! What I am about to say might sound terrible, I am sorry if it does..but it is the truth and I think that I need to say it... Before I found my PCP and before I had insurance, when I would have a severe pain flair-up, I would have to go to the ER, after going there a few times and being treated like a junkie looking to get high (they treated me this way when I told them of my ARD and ovarian, hernia, and MANY surgery that I had), they would KILL me with the pelvic exams, vaginal ultrasounds, poking and prodding me..then give me a shot of Toradol and send me home, so basically I would go home feeling even WORSE than when I got to the ER. Anyway, after going through this a few times... I went to the ER one night at about 2am in excruciating pain from ARD and my other problems and I was close to just ending it all and commiting suicide.. my husband was a wreck and didn't know what to do, he wanted to call the squad and I said NO! But finally, I couldn't take the pain so agreed to go to the ER... this is the part that I am sure I will hear about from a few people, but, here goes. When I got to the ER, I told them that I had fallen down the stairs on the way to the restroom.. I told them that I hurt my hip and my butt... and guess what? They treated me SUPER, they gave me a pain shot before sending me for x-rays, then sent me home with strong pain meds and muscle relaxers... When I got home, although I did feel better and the pain was tolerable, I began to cry, and cry, and cry... It was awful! =*( I was SO guilt ridden for what I had just done, I almost contemplated going back to the ER and telling them and then screaming at them that it was horrible that I had to lie to them just to have them treat me like a human being and not a junkie! At the time that this happened, I had no insurance, no doctor because I couldn't afford to pay out of pocket, and I was desperate for SOME kind of relief and some sleep, sleep is a luxury to me, it was then and still is now... but anyway... I think that we live in a SORRY ass (pardon my mouth) country when someone has to lie to get proper care, treated like a human being, and to get a little compassion from the ER. I have never done that except that one time, there was NO way I could, even though I felt that I HAD to do it in order to get care, the guilt was horrible and I KNOW I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did it again. Luckily I got insurance shortly after that happened and found my current PCP, he is wonderful and has bent over backwards to help me... BUT there are still times when I have to go to the ER because my pain meds aren't working and then I get scared that maybe something ruptured inside me or I have another blockage or impacted again.. so reluctently I go..and you know what?? Nothing has changed. They STILL treat me like snot and like I am searching for a "high", they still give me a HARSH pelvic exam when they don't have to.. and they still tell me adhesions do NOT hurt and I need to go talk to my doctor about it. Nothing changes and nothing will change until more doctors and nurses educate themselves on ARD, we will keep being accused of "drug seeking" or it just being in our heads... it makes me sick =*( We do not live in a primative country, but when it comes to health care for ARD sufferers, we might as well live in a third world country. I guess what I am trying to say is this.. because of that time I had to lie to get help from the ER, and now that I found this site and see that I am not the only one going through this pain and bullcrap..I am also kinda sure that I am not the only that has ever went to the ER and lied just to get relief from this agonizing pain. So, maybe when the ER nurses and doctors see someone coming to the ER alot or maybe not even alot but they have been there a couple times with complaints of pain due to ARD, and the docs and nurses can't SEE anything wrong, they automatically lable them as a "drug seeker" and if you go back to the ER with the same complaints of pain...they won't help you. BUT if you go in for something else..they will, that is NOT right and there is NO reason why anyone should have to lie to get some help! ARD is as REAL as any other disease that causes pain, it is as real as cancer... if you go to the ER for pain caused by cancer, the nurses and doctors bend over backwards to take care of you and kill the pain, but go there for ARD and they treat you like you are a junkie coming in for a "fix", it is NOT fair! It isn't fair that I had to lie to get help, and it isn't fair that right now as you read this, someone is at the ER dying in pain from ARD and they HAVE to make up a story just to get relief, or they just don't get any help at all, they get examined, poked, more pain put upon them and then get told nothing is wrong and sent home. I don't know about anyone else's experiences at the ER, but that is how it always goes for me..and like I said, since I know now that I am not alone with ARD, I know other people are out there going through the same thing as I did (and still do). When is this ever going to stop? I made the decision that I am never going back to the ER again... if my pain meds aren't working, then I will call my doctor..I told my husband my decision and he is NOT happy but he is also not happy about the treatment I always recieve from the ER whenever I have been there, so although he worries about me, he respects my decision... and I mean it 100%, I would rather die than to go to the ER 1 more time and get put in more pain then accused and treated like a junkie. Thanks everyone for listening to me.. I wrote a whole lot more than I had planned on...sorry =*( I also apologize to anyone that I may have offended by telling my story... I only wanted to let little miss anonymous know that because of the treatment her and ALOT of medical people give to us, this is ONE of the things we have to resort to just to get a little relief and help... *Hugs*
-- With love and understanding, Tami Dana